How a crisis broke up the Class of '88

These bright, enthusiastic young nurses in their crisp white uniforms graduated into the profession in 1988, but what happened to them shows why the health system is in crisis.

The Sun-Herald set out to find what happened to these 12 nurses (opposite) who graduated with such high ideals 14 years ago.

The Class of 88 of Ku-Ring-Gai College of Advanced Education were photographed during a field trip to Papua New Guinea.

They were the first of a new breed of nurses - university educated rather than in hospitals. Their course, run through the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), was designed to elevate nursing to a new and professional level.

But fewer than half of this group are still nursing. All are disillusioned. Some swear they will never go back.");document.write("

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The national review of nursing education's report shows nurses are quitting the profession in droves, which will mean the current 10 per cent shortfall in nurses increasing sixfold by 2006 to 31,000 nurses.

Fresh nursing graduates cannot plug the holes left by experienced nurses who walk off the wards. Yet three-quarters of the shortfall is caused by experienced nurses leaving the profession.

The NSW Government should listen to the Class of 88, now in their mid-30s, on why they are quitting nursing.

Money isn't the main problem. Rather, it is a lack of respect as professionals, and being treated as minions in an antiquated, hierarchical system that does not let them provide proper patient care.

Margaret Bollen is one of the few from 1988 who stuck it. She was older than the other students, having first started a nursing course in 1976.

"I started when you learned nursing in the hospitals, but this was the first time it was an eduction course at a university and that got me back in," she said.

"I thought it would be regarded as a proper profession. Money is not the issue for me. But the pressure on experienced, full-time nurses snowballs as they look after temp nurses new to the ward on top of looking after up to 10 patients at a time. It is very stressful and there is a lot of responsibility, and I don't feel we get the recognition and support we need."

Melissa Fletcher was off to Britain to work as a nanny just six months after graduating.

"The shift work and lack of recognition, and no advancement despite all the extra training and courses, left me disillusioned," she said. "I felt there was a real lack of support, especially from other nurses. I was bossed around, and the hierarchical structure made me feel it wasn't regarded as a profession."

Ms Fletcher's husband died six years ago and she had to give up nursing to look after their young daughter. Her nursing qualifications helped get her into a behavioural science course and she is now aiming at an occupational health and safety career.

Samantha Trippe is trying to help young nurses by setting up a mentoring system through the UTS alumni association. She nursed for six years, but left to set up her own nursing agency. She went back to nursing for two years as she missed the work, but now works for Nurse Bank Australia, a recruitment agency.

"Nursing is at a crisis point," she said. "People leave because of the lack of job satisfaction. You can't do the patient care work when you are having to supervise other staff."

Lavinia Schofield nursed for five years and did midwifery in New Zealand before going back to the wards part-time. But eventually she walked away to try to become a National Parks ranger.

"I did not like going back to the hospital ward system," she said. "The hierarchy system really bugged me. It was all too rushed to give really good patient care."